Automatic stoking mechanism



July 28, 1925. 1,547,170

A. M. HUNT I AUTOMATIC STOKING MECHANISM Filed July 26, 1924 hm, ATTORNEYS Patented July 28, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT 7 OFFICE.

ANDREW M. HUNT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STOKE COMPANY,

INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC s'roxmo MECHANISM.

Application filed July 26, 1924. Serial No. 728,288.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANDREW M. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of- New York and State" of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic.

Stoking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to locomotive stokers of the type wherein coal is conveyed from the tender to the locomotive fire-box by a screw conveyor and it relates more particularly to a means for crushing or reduc ing the coal as it is fed forward by the conveyor.

Among the objects of my invention are to produce a crushing means, which shall be simple and economical in construction, efficient in operation and which will serve to reduce large lumps of coal of widely vary-- ing sizes to sizes convenient for consumption and ready and uninterrupted handling by the conveyor.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a 1000- motive tender showing aportion of coal bin,

conveying mechanism and one form of my improved crushing means.

Fig. 2is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the conveyor trough looking downward at the crusher and conveyor screw.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modified form of crusher.

Referring to Fig. 1, 10 represents the frame of a locomotive tender, and 11 the coal receptacle or bin carried thereby. The bottom of the bin 11 is provided with a central longitudinal opening 12 through which coal is adapted to pass to the conveyor trough 13. The floor of the coal bin is inclined downwardly toward the trough 13 at the sides andback thereof, so that coal will move downwardly along the inclined floor into position to enter the trough. Removable cover sections 15 may be slid forward, or moved from covering position to permit entry of coal into the trough 13 as the supply becomes depletedfi -Operating .in the trough 13 and jam-- naled at the'ends of the trough 'in the manner shown is a section 20, of a conveyor screw 21. The screw 21 is adapted to be operated through gearing 22 located at the rear of the trough 13 from a suitable source of power, not shown. The conveyor of which the rear ortion only is shown in Fig. 1, extends comprises a plurality of sections which are flexibly and universally jointed to one another so as to permit relative movements between the locomotive and its tender without damaging the conveyor. The forward end of the trough 13 is formed by a partition or plate 24. having an opening 25 therethrough which forms a restriction in the passage through which the/coal is moved by the conveyor screw. Mounted on the partition 24 and formed with a lower recess or opening 26 which embraces the upper portion of the conveyor screw 21 is a crusher plate 30, which is provided with rearwardly extending spurs or projections 35. The outer or upper projections 35 are larger and longer than the inner or lower projections extending therebeyond against the advancing fuel. The longer projections are adapted to engage and reduce the larger lumps of coal as they are moved forward under the influence of the screw 21. The projections 35 serve to split or cleave the lumps of coal and serve also to hold such lumps in position to be split or broken, to such size that they may pass through the opening 25 in the plate 24. Secured by means of bolts 41 to that side of the trough 13, towards which the upper portion of the screw 21 moves, is a plate or member 37 formed with supporting lugs 40 and having on its face inwardly or laterally extending coal engaging projections 39. As shown in Fig. 2, the member 37 is located somewhat above the screw 21,

and the projections 39 are so positioned as to engage the coal which is moved laterally of the trough 13 under the influence of the conveyor screw. Due to the extra heavy duty required of the conveyor screw flight in the vicinity of the crusher, the flight is preferably thicker at this point than at other portions of the screw section.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the lateral crushing member or plate 37 is formed integral with a plate 30 wh ch carries the rearwardly exending projections 35.

' in the form of the coal engaging projections,

While considerable variation may be made,

orwardly to the locomotive and I preferably employ the form shown in Fig. 2 in which the outer projections 35 are polygonal in cross section, presenting sharp corners for effectually acting upon the lumps of coal to grind them down and the smaller projections 35 are of conical form.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1'. In a stoker, a structure formed with a passage having a -restricted opening therein, a conveyor screw operating in said passage to force coal through said opening and crushing means, comprising rearwardly extending coal engaging projections around the upper portion of said opening and laterally extending coal engaging project-ions at the rear of and above said opening and at the side of said passage toward which the upper portion of said screw moves.

2. In a stoker, a structure formed with. a conveying passage, a conveyor screw operating in sald passage and coal reducing means comprising laterally extending projections arranged along the wall of said passage at a side thereof toward which the coal which lies above the axis of said screw is forced when -moved by said conveyor screw.

3. In a device of the class described, a conveyor comprising a trough, a coal receptacle adapted to discharge downwardly into said trough, a conveyor screw'operating in said trough anda crusher comprising coal engaging laterallyvextending projections arranged along said trough at the upper portion thereof and at the side there- 0 toward which the upper portion of the screw moves.

4. In a device of the class described, a conveyor comprising a trough, a coal re ceptacle adapted to discharge downwardly into said trough, a conveyor screw operated in said trough, and a crusher plate secured to a side of said trough and having a roughened surface extending along and above said screw at the side thereof toward which the upper portion of said screw moves.

5. In a locomotive stoker in combination, a conveyor for moving coal'from the tender to the locomotive including a passaged structure and a conveyor screw rotatably mounted therein, a crusher member with projections facing the advancing fuel and an auxiliary crushing member extending rearwardly of said first mentioned crushing member and lying adjacent that side of the passage towards which the upper portionof the screw moves.

6. In a locomotive stoker, in combination a transferring conveyor for moving coal from the tender tothe locomotive, including a passagedstructure and a conveyor screw rotatably mounted therein, a coal crushing member associated with said structure having projections facing the advancing fuel, said projections being of in-. creased dimensions toward the outer portions of said member and an auxiliary crusher plate disposed at one side of said passage toward which the upper surface of the conveyor screw rotates, said auxiliary plate extending beyond said projections and being-provided with lateral projections on its working face.

7. In alocomotive stoker, a structure having apassage, a screw having a coal en gaging flight in said passage and a crusher plate having inwardly extending coal engaging projections in proximity to said screw flight and arranged along the side of said passage towards which the upper surface of said screw moves, said screw flight being of increased thickness in the neighborhood of said plate. 

